Social desirability can bias the parameters measured by self-report. The aims of this study were: a) to translate into Portuguese the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, which quantifies social desirability and; b) to evaluate its precision. The version was obtained through a process of translation and back translation. A test-retest was conducted, in which the scale was administered twice, with one-month interval, to Dietetics students (n = 57). A Wilcoxon matched pairs test verified if there was difference between the two applications. The Spearman correlation coefficient between the applications was calculated. The scores obtained were 13.6 ± 4.4 (median 13) in the first application, and 13.4 ± 5.3 (median 13) in the second application. There was no difference between the means of the two applications (z = 1.66; p = 0.10) and correlation between them was 0.82 (p = 0.0000001). The score obtained was similar to those obtained by students in developed countries, which suggests that translation did not modify the scale's original meaning. Precision was high and compatible with that one obtained with the original version. These results indicate that the Brazilian version of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale is precise and adequate.
Social desirability; scales; precision; psychometrics